Summer "Staycation" 2025: Palermo, Roma, Oliveri, and Home
This summer season we had the opportunity to take some short trips to Palermo, Roma, and Oliveri. In addition to day trips to the Aeolian Islands, there were also several fun local events. Best of all, each involved time with family and friends and memories made!
Palermo Visit with Impellizzeri Cousins
Our Summer kicked off with a very special event: Meeting up with American Impellizzeri cousins on their first trip to Italy! After chatting virtually for several years, we were excited to meet Kelly Conrad (John's 5th cousin), along with her sister Wendy Conrad (5th cousin) and their mom, Mary Impellizzeri (John's 4th cousin, 1 x removed). Their trip included Roma, Alcamo (ancestral home town), and Palermo. We decided it would be easiest to connect in Palermo. Thank you, cousins, for making time during your special trip to connect with us!
Mary and her daughters are from the Impellizzeri branch with ancestors who immigrated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. A couple of years ago, we had the opportunity to meet up with Mary's cousin Marie Impellizzeri on a trip to Michigan. I also wrote a blog post about this branch after transcribing some letters Marie had. It's so fun to connect with cousins, share experiences, and make new memories!
All aboard! Palermo is a two-hour train ride from Capo d'Orlando, making it quite easy to visit. It's such an interesting city. I'm always happy to return.
After dropping our bags at our hotel, we headed over to Chiesa di San Domenico. I've shared photos from here in previous blog posts, so I've only included a few (you can click on the link above if you'd like to dive deeper). It certainly is ABC!
Emily was interested in seeing Giovanni Falcone's grave. I think because it was the month of his birth, as well as his assassination, that there were many letters and other objects on his tomb.
Although I've visited here several times, I always find something new. On this visit, I found some tombs of other famous Italians. Francesco Crispi was an Italian statesman who played a key role in the Risorgimento (for better or worse - he seems controversial). Giuseppe Lampedusa is famous for his book Il Gattapardo (The Leopard), which provides a view of the Risorgimento from the aristocracy. Perhaps you have seen the recent television series based on the book? Interestingly, there is a Capo d'Orlando connection, as Lampedusa visited our town several times, and some pages of Il Gattopardo are thought to have been written here. Finally, I found a monument to Ruggero Settimo, another statesman who was an important leader in the mid 1800s Sicilian revolution for independence. I had recently learned in school that Chiesa di San Domenico served as the seat of Sicilian Parliament during this revolutionary period. So much history!
Chiesa di San Domenico is on a piazza that borders La Vucciria, an ancient market in Palermo. Time for a snack! John had some fresh fried little fish, and Emily and I tried a panelle sandwich and a sausage sandwich.
A new addition to the area I was not thrilled about.
A few sights along the walk to our next destination, Oratorio di San Lorenzo.
The Oratory was built in the late 1500s, replacing a smaller chapel dedicated to San Lorenzo on the site. It was designed by Giacomo Amato and decorated c. 1700 with stuccoes by Giacomo Serpotta. It's like being inside a big wedding cake!
There is so much detail to look at here!
At the front of the Oratory, above the beautiful altar, hangs a Caravaggio painting, The Nativity with Saint Frances and Saint Lawrence. But, it's not real! The actual painting was stolen in the late 1960s. In Ripley, Tom, who is obsessed with Caravaggio, visits around the same time the painting was stolen. The director making a cheeky suggestion? Perhaps. I highly recommend this series, especially if you like Caravaggio, Italy, and / or mysteries. This article talks about the Caravaggio theme in the show.
Time for a snack! I've been wanting to try Obicà Mozzarella Bar, because who doesn't want to go to a mozzarella bar? And, they have a nice view of Chiesa di San Domenico and its piazza. Unfortunately, we were too early to really dig deep on mozzarella (next time!), but we did enjoy an aperitivo with some fancy drinks and snacks and were able to pop out to see the view (I don't think I mentioned that our weather was less than wonderful, and that continued the next day).
Nice views! There was also a small gourmet foods store here. We headed back to the hotel to rest while awaiting the arrival of, and dinner with, our cousins.
Impellizzeris meet Impellizzeris!
We were having so much good conversation, I forgot to make pictures. I did capture Kelly enjoying her limoncello, and I remembered to take a photo of my pasta. I was so excited to see Bucatini Trapanese on the menu. It's one of my favorites! Bellies and hearts full, we made plans for our next day's activities.
From our hotels near Teatro Massimo, we walked over to the Quattro Canti.
The Four Corners. Beautiful, but more and more challenging with the rain.
My plans to walk around were being thwarted. It was pouring, as you can see from the picture. I suggested we stick to sights in the immediate area of our final destination - the best cannoli! In Piazza Bellini, which I've visited many times, I had never noticed the eagle gargoyle on this building.
I suggested the cousins visit the interior of Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, so they could compare it to Monreale Cathedral, visited earlier in their trip. I think they enjoyed it.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Emily went inside with the cousins, while I made sure John got over to the cannolo destination across the piazza (I was very worried about him with the crutch on those slippery stones). I stayed with all of the umbrellas and other stuff outside. Here are some shots from the entryway.
I Segreti del Chiostro is a pasticceria located in a former Dominican monastery. Here they preserve ancient recipes of nuns, making a variety of pastries.
Where the cannoli-construction magic happens. You pick which toppings you want.
I love all of the cannoli pictures! Did the cousins think this was their best cannoli ever? They'll have to let us know. After departing here, we walked back to our hotels, stopping for a delicious lunch. Do I have one picture? No.
Mary, John, and I were all up for a rest before reconvening for dinner. However, Wendy, Kelly, and Emily went on further adventures shopping, knoshing, and visiting Casa Professa.
After all that delicious food throughout the day, we decided to just grab some panini to bring back to our hotel for dinner. Our trip would not be complete without some time to enjoy talking about genealogy! Ladies, it was really fun; we're so happy we had this opportunity to connect and make memories!
The cousins asked what they could bring us from the States. Can you guess who chose what?
All that rain made our trip have one last twist. The railway was washed out on our route home! So, we had to get off the train, get on buses, travel about 45 minutes, and get back on the train. Since we were just heading home, what could have been super stressful turned into a fun little jaunt. We all enjoyed driving through several small towns that we wouldn't normally get to see.
Lemon Festival
The Lemon Festival runs the last weekend in May. It's fun to see all of the exotic types of lemons and taste test the various lemon foods. This year we were able to attend all three evenings. Every night your ticket gets you a bag of lemon and a bottle of lemon juice, then there is a special food or two to try. The first night one of the highlights was a lemon gelato created for Capo d'Orlando's 100th birthday. Very tasty. It was from a gelateria (believe it or not!) we've not yet tried.
The evening was beautiful, so we decided to have aperitivo at a local beach bar. Cheers!
Evening two featured lemon pasta, as well as samples of lemon honey. There was also a nice traditional music group with colorful costumes.
And another beautiful sunset!
Friend Corinne joined us for the final night of the festival, where we enjoyed lemon granita and lemon focaccia. That was especially tasty!
Birthday / Anniversary Celebrations
June is a busy month for us in terms of celebrations, as our anniversary and Emily's birthday, as well as US Father's Day, fall in this month.
Emily treated John to a Father's Day lunch while I was in Milazzo taking the language exam. They went to Doria 66, a seafood restaurant near our apartment. Both felt that the restaurant deserves its high ratings.
For our anniversary, I requested we go to Scialaccori, my favorite pizza restaurant in our town. The pizza is so delicious, and it has a fabulous location. Can't beat that view!
For her birthday, Emily requested a cake from Tentazioni (our neighborhood bar) and to have lunch at her favourite restaurant, Umi Sushi. The cake was called Fuoco dell'Etna. It was super yummy.
We were happy that friend Corinne was able to pop over to help us celebrate. Later in the evening, we headed over to the International Food Festival that Capo d'Orlando hosted this year.
Oliveri
Later in June, Corinne told us about a solstice yoga event on the beach in another coastal town about an hour away. Emily and I decided to go, so we three made an overnight reservation in Oliveri. Unfortunately, the weather forecast wasn't looking good, so the event was cancelled. Since we already had the booking, we decided to go anyway. And, as it turns out, the bad weather never came. Too bad the yoga event was cancelled. Corinne invited her friend (another) Christine to join us. Christine has a car, so we had some wheels for our mini trip.
We spent the afternoon, evening, and next morning in Oliveri. Then we headed over to the beach at Mongiove, with an impromptu pass through Tindari.
In the Spring, Emily and Corinne had taken a hike at the nature reserve at Oliveri (Riserva Naturale Orientata Laghetti di Marinello). Pretty!
We had a nice passeggiata around town before dinner. I Musicanti, the sculptures, were gifted to the city in 2021 by master blacksmith Angelo Vincenzo Materia.
We enjoyed a morning swim at Oliveri's beach. Great view!
Up, up, up we went, headed to our next destination. Props to Corinne for her amazing mountain driving skills. I would have been terrified! There's Tindari, let's go!
At this time of year, one had to park in a lot and take a shuttle up to the town centre / chiesa. I've wanted to go here, because the Chiesa is supposed to be beautiful, and it is the home of the famous Black Madonna. She is revered in this area. John told me that when he's been driven to Messina for procedures, the drivers always perform the sign of the cross when they go through the tunnel underneath the church.
Unfortunately, we arrived just a tad too late to see the inside of the Chiesa, as it was closing for the afternoon pause. Nevertheless, I enjoyed exploring the outside, as well as taking in the fabulous view.
View of the nature reserve from high.
Bella Sicilia!
We completed our trip with a delicious al fresco lunch and beach sit / swim at Mongiove. Thanks to Christine for sharing her car!
Roma Visit with Laura
As did our Staycation begin with a special experience, so did it end. We made a short trip to Roma to connect with our dear friend Laura who was visiting there with another friend on a business trip. It's really great when friends reach out and try to connect when the opportunity is there. We are never guaranteed time to share with loved ones; we should make it happen when we can. Thanks, Laura, for including us in your trip!
We were all smiles as we headed out from Capo D'Orlando on the train.
We had books, lunch, snacks, and our Pocket Coffee (note that there is a summer version for this amazing invention, with the espresso and chocolate combined in a little box with a sippy straw). John was excited to be experiencing the transfer across to the mainland - on a ferry - for the first time.
It's always exciting to cross. What's up with my hair? Guess it was pretty windy.
Yep, that's the train down there.
Interestingly, around the time of this trip, this came up in John's Facebook feed. Guess it's been done before - and in our hometown!
Unfortunately, the smiles disappeared a few hours later, when we started experiencing problems. I won't go into all of the details, but due to mechanical issues, we were delayed by 4 hours! Every time the train had to stop, there was no air conditioning. It was dreadful! We arrived to Roma after midnight, schlepped our bags to the hotel, took quick de-grossing showers, and nodded off.
Next morning, feeling refreshed, first order of business was finding a place to get breakfast. I wasn't able to secure a hotel that included breakfast that also had the right location and good reviews in terms of air conditioning reliability (critical this time of year!). Fortunately, there were a couple of nice bars nearby. That coffee was fantastic!
Our big destination for the day was the Pantheon, but we had a good walk en route which passed by several interesting sights. First were the Le Quattro Fontane. Here there are 4 fountains, built in the 1500s, located at each of the corners of the intersections. It was very reminiscent of the I Quattri Canti in Palermo.
Next we passed by the lovely Palazzo Barberini, one of the sites of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. I had hoped to secure tickets to the special Caravaggio exhibit that was on offer, but the tickets were all sold out for our visit dates.
Our path also crossed Trevi Fountain, so we stopped for a quick piccie. Unlike when we visited in 2007 (below), there is now a rope, a line, police presence, etc. When tourists treat cities like Disneyland, you get Disneyland-like experiences. :(
Trevi Fountain in 2007. We love the presence of water fountains all over Roma. It was a lifesaver, both for filling up the water bottles, as well as splashing some cool water on ourselves.
A few sights along our walk.
.jpg)
A little early for our ticket time, we decided to take a quick peek at ABC. Chiesa di San Marcello al Corso is in the Baroque style, but it has had many iterations. The ceiling was beautiful.
This was an interesting display. You probably recognize the saint on the right, but what about the young man on the left? That's Saint Carlo Acutis AKA The Millennial Saint, who was just canonized this year! On the far left is Blessed Cecilia Euseppi. She is beatified, which is apparently a step on the way to becoming a saint.
As I often do, I chose to spend most of my time in the Mary Chapel. I have never heard Mary described as an Untier of Knots. Very interesting! The prayer was so pretty, I had to make a photo to keep a copy.
The Pantheon was amazing! Not surprising, as it is known as being the best preserved building from antiquity. Impressive! The initial structure here was begun in 27 BC, but the recognizable structure completed around 125 CE. Pantheon refers to Temple of the Gods, which most think was the original purpose of the structure. However, there is debate about that, and you can click here if you want to delve more deeply into its design and history.
The Pantheon's dome is made of un-reinforced concrete and is the world's largest of this type. The oculus provides natural light. It was breathtaking.
In 609 CE, the temple was converted to a Catholic Church. It has operated as the Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres since that time. Historians believe this has contributed to its wonderful state of preservation.
Several notable Italians are entombed here, including Umberto I, Vittorio Emanuele, and Raphael. Our explore complete, we left John to sit on the wall and people watch while Emily and I went to a nearby bar to secure a snack. We had a bucket list of Roman dishes we wanted to try on our trip, including Supplì.
This Roman street food was tasty.
Our taxi driver recommended this restaurant for pasta, and it happened to be right by our hotel. They were very busy (good sign), but were able to fit us in near the end of the lunch period.
These are the 4 types of pasta dishes from Roma. They are related in a way, in terms of ingredients. I had on my food bucket list to try the one I haven't had before (although I was very tempted to get a Carbonara!), Pasta alla Gricia. It was delicious! Emily and John had the Pasta Amatriciana, which was also fantastic. After lunch, Emily, with more energy than us, continued on for some sightseeing, while John and I took the opportunity to cool off and rest. Next up, meeting Laura for dinner!
We had a beautiful reunion, so wonderful to see our friend! There was so much catching up that I didn't make any additional piccies - other than some food, because Laura's sister had said, "Send photos of the food."
Carcioffi alla Romana, one of our bucket list foods.
This was a wine I randomly selected, and it ended up being one I really liked: Cesanese, a wine from Lazio region. We shared a pistacchio tiramisu.
The next morning we were up bright and early (opens at 7 a.m.) to beat the heat and the crowds for our visit to Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, the final resting place of Papa Francesco. Did you know that there are 4 Papal Basilicas? I didn't! Since we approached from the back and along the side, I didn't get a good shot from the front, but it's beautiful from all the angles.
The portico and view from the front.
Since it is a Jubilee Year, the Porta Santa was open for entering the basilica.
We went immediately to see Pope Francis, before the queues started. Very humble tomb.
The interior was incredibly ornate, as you might imagine. Another famous tomb, Gianlorenzo Bernini.
ABC!
Old and New on our way to our next stop, Villa Borghese, where we wanted to take a stroll (trees, shade) before meeting up for our activity with Laura. I learned about this spot from a YouTube Italian teacher that I follow. She often visits here for her vlog segments.
Named the Heart of Rome (do you see the shape?), Villa Borghese is a huge, landscaped urban park, which also houses the Galleria Borghese, an important art museum. John wanted a rest, so Emily and I left him to sit in the park and get some Vitamin Tree, while we went to explore the Giardino di Lago.
These were beautiful grounds, and we only explored a tiny portion! At the end, while we were filling up our bottles at the fountain, we encountered the most lovely man, a local out for a run. He was very interested in, and most welcoming of, our decision to relocate to Italy. A wonderful encounter.
Onward to our adventure with Laura, meeting up to explore the Museo e Cripta dei Cappuccini. The museum had a guided audio tour about the history of the Capuchin Friars and ended with a walk through the crypt. The building in which the museum is housed dates back to the early 1600s.
There were all sorts of interesting artifacts, items made by, and used by, the Friars.
Also, a Caravaggio! San Francesco in Meditazione c. 1603.
This was my favorite item, a Seraphic tree of the Franciscan Order, 1881.
The Crypt was fascinating, with each chamber having a different 'theme.' The decorations are from the bones of over 3,700 people! Photos were restricted in this area (although other visitors were ignoring this), so I'm sharing images of the Crypt from postcards.
While Emily went across the street to see if the highly-rated wine bar had space for us for lunch, we took a break at this pretty fountain. These fountains were a lifesaver in the heat. Decorative and useful!
Our appetizers were unique and delicious. There was a selection of Courgette flowers, Ascolana olives, Sicilian arancini filled with ragout and crispy fried sage leaves. We also had Ligurian focaccia with a Crescenza cheese filling.
The wine was a sparkling rose from the Trentino region. Very refreshing and celebratory for our time together. Emily showed us the skull bracelet that Laura treated her to from the gift shop. How sweet! Our time with Laura was over, but we made new memories, and Laura was off to the rest of her fabulous Italian vacation.
John and I headed back to the hotel. We had enough activity for the day, but Emily did some more exploring. She got a great shot of the Colosseo.
With one day left in our trip, the next morning we were up early to grab a quick breakfast (look how pretty!) and head off to Largo di Torre Argentina. This is an important archaeological site, dating back to the fourth century BC!
The site was discovered in the 1920s when the area was being demolished to construct new buildings. It contains remains from 4 temples from the Republican Era, and it is the place where Julius Caesar was assassinated! To be honest, how we learned about it was from friend Tamar, who told us it is also the site of a cat sanctuary! We had to go.
These graphics provide an idea of how the temples would have looked in their time.
We all took a good look at the ruins from above, then Emily and I got tickets to walk down in the site and visit the small museum of artifacts. We were also on the hunt for cats, because there weren't any immediately visible from up top.
It was cool to be able to walk around so closely to the temples.
The museum has some interesting artifacts. A sampling. These are heads of two female deities, dating to the 2nd century AD.
Fragment of a relief from 2nd century AD, and an inscription from 79 AD.
Architectural ornaments from 1st century AD.
Cats, what cats? They were all hiding out from the heat! But, we managed to spot a few. Speaking of heat, time for a cooling gelato before heading back to the hotel for a refresh and lunch. For archaeology and / or cat fans who want to dig in deeper, this is a great article.
When in Rome ... eat Chinese food? Our Roma food bucket list complete, we were ready for some delicious Chinese food, not easy to come by where we live. Would it be too embarrassing to say we ate lunch AND dinner there?
For our afternoon activity, I wanted something indoor. Fortunately, one of the four museums that collectively make up the National Roman Museum, was near our hotel. I also had read that this is a wonderful museum that was rarely busy. Bonus! The National Roman Museum is considered one of the, if not the most, important archaeological collections in the world. Palazzo Massimo alle Terme was the branch we visited. It is located in a former family palazzo, built in the late 1800s, and repurposed for its current use.
The first section I visited contained large-scale frescoes from ancient villas. Here is Venus (1st century CE) and part of a garden painting from about 30-20 BC. Amazing!
This was an unusual piece from a villa dating to about AD 160. It uses a technique called opus sectile, which combines cut marble with colored glass.
Fragments of a tomb decoration, 30 BC.
I failed to capture the date of these beautiful pieces.
I liked all of the sea creatures in this one (2nd quarter of 2nd century AD).
Next up, exploring a huge hall with so many mosaics.
Shrek!
Following, there was a section of artifacts from the discovery of ancient Roman baths during the late 1940s construction of Roma Termini (main train station, which is very near this location). John especially enjoyed exploring this section.
Adjacent to this section was a collection of pieces from villas dating to the first century AD. How beautiful they must have been in their time!
Pavement mosaics.
I only scratched the surface of the museum's extensive sculpture collection. This was a display I thought was interesting. It was demonstrating how the women's hairstyles helped place the time of the sculpture, as well as reflecting the status of the subjects.
Emily dug in deeper with the sculptures. Here is a selection of some that caught her attention.
This is the piece I spent the most time with. It is called Boxer in Repose. This bronze sculpture is dated at the 2nd - 1st century BC. I'm not sure why I found it so compelling. That's art for you!
For our final evening, Emily and I walked over to Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio, where a free choral concert was on offer. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the name of the choir (I was pretty tired by this point, I think), but I remember they were a choir visiting from an Anglican church. The priest of the visiting church also conducted Mass in English. We arrived early to hear that, as well as to have a nice explore of the building.
ABC! And the concert was lovely too. Snippets below.
18 seconds of Mass
1:45 minutes of choir performance
Our train ride home the next day was more pleasant than the previous, especially since I prepared a little gourmet lunch to bring on the train, including that delicious Cesanese wine.
Well, that wraps up our summer "staycation." We also had a proper vacation in August, but that's for another post. I hope that your summer staycation or vacation was great, and that Autumn is bringing a new season of enjoyment.
Comments
Post a Comment